1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic musical instrument, especially a simulating wind instrument, capable of setting a standard sound pitch.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present various electronic musical instruments such as electronic organs and synthesizers are available. In addition to the popular keyboard type electronic musical instruments, the electronic wind instruments are also available. Because the electronic wind instruments insure easy melody play (single tone play), easy playing posture and easy carrying as well as easy expression such as crescendo and decrescendo with breath sensor (a sensor detecting the blowing-in breath intensity), they are finding ever increasing applications.
Since these electronic musical instruments are mainly used as extension of the natural wind instruments and recorders (end-blown flutes) which are used as teaching aids at primary and junior high schools in Japan, their key arrangement and fingering are similar to those of the above-mentioned natural wind instruments (including the recorders). An example of recorder fingering is provided hereafter. Thus, all the holes of a recorder must be closed to give a "do", the lowest pitch sound. As the player's fingers are released from the recorder holes successively, beginning with the little finger of the right hand, a major scale playing is given. Semitones, tones other than scale tones, can be given by combining the closed holes and opened holes. Thus, the recorder is designed as a musical instrument based on the major scale, the lowest pitch sound of which is "do". Here, the standard sound pitch of the recorder is the sound pitch "C5 (soprano)" and "F5 (alto) of this lowest pitch sound "do(c)". Thus, the lowest pitch sounds of wind instruments are generally assumed to be the standard sound pitch of the pertinent wind instruments.
Nevertheless, the standard sound pitch of natural musical instruments differs depending on the type of musical instruments. Some musical instruments, such as saxophones and clarinets, which belong to the same category of musical instruments, differ in the standard sound pitch. Although the octave differs, the standard sound pitches of conventional electronic musical instruments are all set to "C". Accordingly, even when the tone color is changed, the standard sound pitch of the musical instrument which has this tone color is not changed.
As a result of this, when the player of a natural musical instrument changes his instrument from the natural musical instrument to such an electronic musical instrument, he feels difficulty in playing the electronic musical instrument because of different fingering. Moreover, when he plays a transposing instrument (musical instrument whose real playing sound differs from notes, such as clarinet, trumpet, etc.), he must play, intentionally transposing, which makes playing difficult, using the original notes. The same is true for the keyboard type electronic musical instruments.